News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 404 - 30/11/2026
When Cambridge North station opened in May 2017 there were no retail facilities (other than the train ticket vening machines), and construction had not begun on the hotel or office block. After a year, Costa Coffee moved into the vacant kiosk. However, the much larger retail area remained empty until 2025, when a personal fitness training centre opened — a somewhat strange facility at a railway station. On 1st November 2026 it was see celebrating its first anniversary.
On 28th-29th November 2026, Network Rail will carry out further East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) signalling work on East Coast Main Line south of Peterborough with trains between Peterborough/Letchworth and London replaced by bus or coach services. A range of updates to the diagnostic systems, data and software, now being used for digital in-cab signalling were required. This work will help prepare for more trains and services to begin using digital in-cab signalling during 2027. Network Rail will take the opportunity to perform track and lineside improvement work, including: renewal of track at New Southgate and near Potters Bar; station canopy work at Bowes Park; further work to deliver step-free access at Alexandra Palace and improvements to overhead line electrical equipment at various locations. See news story.
Greater Anglia (GA) has introduced a new network of e-bike hire hubs, designed to make sustainable onward travel easier around Felixstowe, Harwich and the Shotley Peninsula. The locations include Felixstowe station, Harwich Town station, and ferry landing points in Harwich and Shotley. See news story.
Fenland District Council's 'Travel Buddies' scheme, which was launched in February 2025 to help people overcome barriers to using public transport, build confidence about travelling independently, has received further funding of £12,655, provided by Greater Anglia. See news story.
In an email to her constituents following the budget, Charlotte Cane MP (Ely & East Cambridgeshire) called upon the government to "approve Ely rail junction upgrades to improve reliability of our rail services" as well as tackle priceses that most affected her constituency. She mentioned her meeting with Great Northern in Parliament after finding that 31% of scheduled trains from King's Lynn to King's Cross were cancelled or not recorded, and only one in five of those that ran arrived at their destination on time. The East Anglia Daily Press (EADP) reported that Peter Prinsley, Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, has repeatedly pressed for this investment in Parliament. During Prime Minister's Questions on 4th November 2026 he said: "Haughley Junction is a piece of crucial railway infrastructure that, if completed, would enable us to run direct trains from Bury St Edmunds to London."
A new https://www.reopenthestourvalleyrailwayline.co.uk/ website (and a https://www.facebook.com/groups/4539902869660892 Facebook group) has been set up to restore and re-open the closed and dismantled heavy rail railway line between Sudbury, Haverhill and Cambridge that was closed on 6th March 1967. Railfuture has been campaigning, with some political success, for a restored railway to Haverhill, using tram trains, but the Cambridge end of the route is currently threatened by the CSET busway plans.
GUIDED BUSWAY
Newly-installed fencing along Cambridgeshire guided busway to be partly replaced because of safety concerns
Following the deaths of three people and a subsequent £6 million fine in 2025 when Cambridgeshire County Council was prosecuted, it has been installing 1.5-metre-high metal barriers along much of the 26km (16 mile) busway route at great cost. The BBC has reported that people in Trumpington said the railings had reduced visibility when crossing the busway. Council officers had examined two crossings and decided that the yellow fencing, which is next to each crossing and a different colour to alert bus drivers, would now be replaced with panels "that have different spacings and provide a more open view" so that people can see between and over the top of the railings.
News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c370pk1g752xo.
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Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 404 - 30/11/2026
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